Editorial of Mr. Gérard Collombs, French Minister of Home Affairs

With its pack of promises in terms of economic growth, improvement of our daily lives, simplifying relations between customers and businesses and between states and citizens.

But also its share of risks, in terms of identity fraud, industrial espionage, foreign intervention in national elections and attacks on state security and sovereignty.

Coping with these threats entails acting collectively by bringing together public and private sector players from diverse areas such as the corporate world and the legal and scientific communities.

This is the ambition of the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC), which is celebrating its 10th year and is held by the Gendarmerie Nationale, the CEIS, the Hauts-de-France region and Euratechnologies.

Naturally, the Home Office supports the event, even more so since the road map we have set out makes the fight against cyber criminality a top priority in the upcoming five-year term.

Our goal is to prevent cyber attacks that could be carried out against our public services, which, more and more – and public security in particular comes to mind – are based on digital technology. We will also have to protect our businesses from data theft and hacking that can paralyze their information systems.

This plan to combat cyber criminality, which we are currently devising jointly with the Ministry of Justice, will have to draw from the most advanced expertise and innovations.

This is why I will pay close attention to the work done throughout this forum.

I wish you all an excellent event. May it help enrich our collective thinking and add to our ever-progressing security systems.